Inducted 1997

David "Dad" Carter was the founder and leader of one Southern Gospel's most enduring groups, the Chuck Wagon Gang. 

Born in Milltown, Kentucky, this gifted singer and mandolin player began playing gospel music as a teenager. After marrying Carrie Brooks in 1909, the pair joined a family quartet that sang at revivals, singing schools and conventions throughout Texas. 

In 1935, Dad formed the Chuck Wagon Gang, whose sound featured the close harmony of Dave Parker along with three of his nine children, Rose, Anna and Jim. Within a year, the group had landed a radio program on Fort Worth's WBAP and, over the next fifteen years, their daily broadcasts made them one of the most recognized gospel groups in the nation. 

In 1936, the group signed with Columbia Records and their recordings of such perennial favorites as "The Church in the Wildwood," "A Beautiful Life," and "Echoes from the Burning Bush" quickly found favor with fans, selling millions of records.